Counting-Chambers

For rapid detection of the pregnancy hormone hCG in urine. This test delivers a visual, qualitative result and was developed for professional use.

• hCG urine rapid test
• highly sensitive (20 mU/ml)
• easy to use
• Meditrol’s hCG pregnancy test is used successfully above all in physicians’ practices
• hCG can be detected seven days after conception already with this test
• detailed information and exact instructions for use

Human choriongonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone that the placenta begins to build shortly after conception. In the course of a normal pregnancy, hCG can be verified in serum by day seven after conception (1-4). The hCG concentration climbs very rapidly, often reaching a value of 100 mIU/mL by the first missed period (2-5) and finally peaks in the 10th to 12th week of pregnancy in the 30,000 – 100,000 mIU/mL range.

The early appearance of hCG after conception and the subsequent increased concentration in early pregnancy make it the ideally suited indicator for detecting pregnancy early on. However, an elevated urine hCG level comparable to the one in early pregnancy can also appear in conjunction with a cystic mole or a choriocarcinoma, so that these possibilities need to be excluded before diagnosing a pregancy.

The hCG strip test is a rapid membrane test for detecting hCG starting with a concentration of 20 mIU/mL in urine. The test employs monoclonal antibodies to evidence hCG in urine. The immune reaction’s specificity excludes a cross-reaction with the structurally-related glycoprotein hormones FSH, LH and TSH when present in physiological concentrations.

Test concept

The hCG strip test is a chromatographic immunoassay test for the rapid, qualitative detection of hCG in urine samples. The membrane’s test area has bound to it antibodies against the hCG’s a-chain and the control area has on it goat anti-mouse antibodies. As the test starts, the sample is mixed with colloidal gold particles that carry monoclonal antibodies against the hCG b-chain on their surfaces. Next, capillary action transports all particles along with the fluid across the membrane. If the result is positive, that is, if there is hCG, an antibody-hCG antibody-gold aggregate builds and with it a colored band appears in the test area. If no colored band appears in this area, it is a negative test. In either case, there should be a colored band visible in the control region, signifying that the test was conducted successfully.